Attorney: Katherine Aranda
Shortly after being arrested on two charges of possession of a controlled substance and one charge of possession of drug paraphernalia in Pinellas County, Florida, the client hired Katherine Aranda to represent him. The client believed that the initial traffic stop lacked a valid legal basis and reported several unusual circumstances surrounding the search of his vehicle.
During the traffic stop, the officer told the client that he had been pulled over for allegedly running a stop sign. The officer then ordered the client out of the vehicle and proceeded to search it. The evidence suggested that the officer violated the client’s constitutional rights during the stop and seizure. The circumstances also raised concerns that the traffic violation may have been used as a pretext to investigate suspected criminal activity for which the officer lacked sufficient legal justification.
The evidence further suggested that the officer was on his knees during the search, using a flashlight and handling various items, including removing objects from the client’s pocket while searching the vehicle. We also obtained evidence indicating that the officer inadvertently left a field drug-test kit underneath the front passenger seat of the client’s vehicle. This raised additional concerns about the manner in which the investigation and search had been conducted.
After gathering and reviewing the available evidence, Katherine Aranda contacted the prosecutor assigned to the case at the State Attorney’s Office and presented the concerns regarding the traffic stop, search, and evidence. Ultimately, the prosecutor agreed not to file formal charges.
As a result, the case was dismissed outright on May 20, 2026, and the client avoided prosecution on all three charges.
